Output terminal apparatus for printing data by email

ABSTRACT

An apparatus includes a communication unit which receives email through a communication line, the email having been sent by a user and including a first identifier and data. The apparatus further includes an accumulation unit which stores therein the data, a printout unit, an input unit which receives a second identifier entered by the user through direct operation thereof, and a control unit which controls the printout unit to print the data corresponding to the first identifier by reading the data from the accumulation unit if the second identifier matches the first identifier.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/783,594, filed Feb. 15, 2001, and claims priority to Japanese PatentApplication Nos. 2000-037744, filed Feb. 16, 2000; 2000-037745, filedFeb. 16, 2000; 2000-037749, filed Feb. 16, 2000; and 2001-034268, filedFeb. 9, 2001. The contents of the above applications are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to data-output apparatuses, andparticularly relates to a data-output apparatus that outputs digitaldata supplied via a communication channel.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the office environment or the like, a generally employedconfiguration is that a printing apparatus such as a printer is sharedby a plurality of computers via a LAN or the like. A printer accessiblefrom a computer transmitting data in such a configuration is limited tothose directly connected to the LAN to which the computer is connected,and it is not possible to output data on a remote printer beyond theboundary of the LAN.

Against this background, Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No.5-002541 discloses a system in which a computer transmits data by email,and a printer receives the email to print the data. In this system, datathat is transmitted via email is automatically printed out, and, thus,is not suitable for such an environment as a large number ofunidentified users share the use of the printer since printouts in suchan environment should not be accessible by anyone else other than theowners of the printouts.

In order to keep the printouts out of reach of strangers, JapanesePatent Laid-open Application No. 5-143253 discloses a system in whichthe printer manages and controls passwords or personal identificationnumbers of the users. This system, however, requires passwords orpersonal identification numbers to be registered in advance, so that itis not perfectly suitable for use by a large number of unidentifiedusers. Also, there is an additional load on the printing apparatus suchas the printer since the printer needs to allocate some of its resourcesto management and control of the password or the personal identificationnumbers.

Accordingly, there is a need for a data-output apparatus that can attendto remote outputting of data received via email in an environmentsuitable for use by a large number of unidentified users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to providean apparatus that substantially obviates one or more of the problemscaused by the limitations and disadvantages of the related art

It is another and more specific object of the present invention toprovide an apparatus that can attend to remote outputting of datareceived via email in an environment suitable for use by a large numberof unidentified users.

In order to achieve the above objects according to the presentinvention, an apparatus includes a communication unit which receivesemail through a communication line, the email having been sent by a userand including a first identifier and data. The apparatus furtherincludes an accumulation unit which stores therein the data, a printoutunit, an input unit which receives a second identifier entered by theuser through direct operation thereof, and a control unit which controlsthe printout unit to print the data corresponding to the firstidentifier by reading the data from the accumulation unit if the secondidentifier matches the first identifier.

According to the apparatus described above, the user who does not have aprinter of his/her own, for example, can print the printout data bysimply sending email to the apparatus situated at a desired location.Since the apparatus produces the printout only after the user enters anidentifier such as his/her email address, the printout is not accessibleby anyone else. Further, the identifier is based on information includedin the email, so that there is no need to register a personalidentification number, a password, or the like in advance. This issuitable for an environment in which a large number of unidentifiedusers share use of the printer. There is also no need to manage andcontrol personal identification numbers, passwords, or the like in theapparatus.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus asdescribed above is such that the communication unit receives by email atransfer identifier including the first identifier and a transferdestination email address, and the control unit reads the datacorresponding to the first identifier included in the transferidentifier from the accumulation unit, followed by transferring the readdata to the transfer destination email address.

According to the apparatus described above, when the user mistakenlysends email to an output terminal situated at a location B despitehis/her intention to send email to an output terminal provided at alocation A, the user can send the transfer identifier from the outputterminal at the location A to the output terminal at the location B,thereby having the printout data transferred from the output terminal atthe location B to the output terminal at the location A.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus asdescribed above is such that the control unit controls the printout unitaccording to instructions of a processing instruction text, andtransfers the data and the processing instruction text to anotherapparatus identical to the afore-mentioned apparatus if the emailincludes the processing instruction text.

According to the apparatus described above, a plurality of apparatusescan attend to respective processing specified for each apparatus simplyby sending a single email message including the printout data and theprocessing instruction text. Each apparatus attends to printingprocessing and data transfer processing in accordance with instructionsand data transfer destinations specified in the processing instructiontext.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatusincludes a communication unit which receives email through acommunication line, the email having been sent by a user and includingdata, an accumulation unit which stores therein the data, a printoutunit, an input unit which receives a first identifier entered by theuser through direct operation thereof, and a control unit whichgenerates a second identifier corresponding to the data, and sends thesecond identifier to the user by email via the communication unit, thecontrol unit controlling the printout unit to print the datacorresponding to the second identifier by reading the data from theaccumulation unit if the first identifier matches the second identifier.

The apparatus described above generates an identifier upon reception ofthe data, and sends the generated identifier to the user. The userenters the received identifier into the apparatus to have the dataprinted. This can heighten security without imposing the burden on theuser. Further, if the identifier generated by the apparatus is anumerical value comprised of a small number of digits, for example, theburden on the user in entering the identifier can be reduced.

Other objects and further features of the present invention will beapparent from the following detailed description when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustrative drawing for explaining the principle of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an output terminalaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of data accumulation operation according to thefirst embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of data output operation according to the firstembodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of an output terminalaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an accumulation management unit;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of operation according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of an output terminalaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows an example of copyright information;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of operation according to the third embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a fourth embodiment of an output terminalaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an accumulation unit of the fourthembodiment;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an accumulated data protection unit of thefourth embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of operation according to the fourth embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an output terminalaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of data accumulation operation according to theembodiment of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of transfer operation;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of operation performed in response to storing ofa transfer identifier;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an output terminalaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of data accumulation operation according to theembodiment of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is an illustrative drawing for explaining print and transferoperation based on a processing instruction text;

FIG. 22 is an illustrative drawing showing an example of a processinginstruction text;

FIG. 23 is an illustrative drawing showing an example of a processinginstruction text based on use of abbreviations;

FIG. 24 is an illustrative drawing showing an example of a record thatstores an unabbreviated address corresponding to an abbreviated address;

FIG. 25 is an illustrative drawing showing an example of a wrongprocessing instruction text;

FIG. 26 is an illustrative drawing showing an example of a processinginstruction text that has all transfer addresses therein collectivelyspecified;

FIG. 27 is an illustrative drawing showing an example of a record thatstores addresses of different communication lines;

FIG. 28 is a flowchart of operation performed based on processinginstruction;

FIG. 29 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an output terminalaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 30 is a flowchart of data accumulation operation according to theembodiment of FIG. 29.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following, the principle and embodiments of the present inventionwill be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an illustrative drawing for explaining the principle of thepresent invention.

The system of FIG. 1 according to the present invention includes a usercomputer 511, an output terminal 512, and service provider servers 513through 515, all of which are connected via a network such as theInternet. The user computer 511 may be a personal computer or the likethat a user uses at his/her home or office. The output terminal 512 maybe a dedicated output terminal provided with a printing function and acommunication function and possibly with an additional copier function,or a printer system that is comprised of a computer and a printerapparatus connected together. The output terminal 512 may be installedat a large number of locations easily accessible by users such asconvenience stores. The service provider servers 513 through 515 provideservices to the users such as delivery of image information, audioinformation, video information, and the like.

The user of the user computer 511 may not be in the possession ofhis/her own printer, or may want to use a function (such as a colorprinting function) that is absent in his/her own printer. In othercircumstances, the user may want have a printout with better qualitythat is not achievable by his/her own printer. In such cases, the usercreates an email message that includes printout data and a printoutrequest, and transmits the email to the output terminal 512 from theuser computer 511. The output terminal 512 receives the email includingthe printout data and the printout request, and, in response, notifiesthe sender by email that the mail has been received and ready to beprinted.

Having received the notifying email, the user goes to a location such asa convenient store where the output terminal 512 is installed, andenters an identifier into the output terminal 512. The identifier(identification information) is based on information included in theemail transmitted by the user from the user computer 511 to the outputterminal 512, and may be an email address or the like. When an emailaddress is used as an identifier, the user enters his/her email addressby directly operating the output terminal 512. In response, the outputterminal 512 prints the printout data corresponding to the entered emailaddress.

The identification information can be any type of information includedin or derived from the received email, and numerous variations areconceivable. For example, a specific character string included in theemail text may be used as a means to identify the identificationinformation. If a character line starting with the character string“Identifier=” may be used as an indication of an identifier, forexample, the identifier “taro@company.com” may be extracted from thecharacter line “Identifier=taro@company.com”. By the same token, theidentifier “9758” may be extracted from the character line“Identifier=9758”.

In the manner as described above, a user who does not own a printer canprint the printout data by sending email to the output terminal 512situated at a convenient location. In this case, the output terminal 512outputs the printouts only after the user enters his/her identificationinformation such as the email address, thereby preventing anyone else toaccess the printouts. Since the identification information is based oninformation included in the email, there is no need to registerpasswords, personal identification numbers, or the like in advance. Thisconfiguration is thus suitable for shared use of a printer by a largenumber of unidentified users. Further, there is no need for the outputterminal 512 to allocate part of its resources to management and controlof the passwords or personal identification numbers.

The printout request described above may be a request for printingprintout data provided by the service provider servers 513 through 515,rather than a request for printing printout data included in the emailthat the user has sent. For example, the service provider server 513 maybe operated by a publisher of maps. The user of the user computer 511may send a request for delivery of printout data of a desired map bysending email to the service provider servers 513 through 515 via theInternet. Upon receiving the email requesting delivery of data, theservice provider server 513 transmits the data of the requested map andidentification information indicative of the user to the output terminal512 by email. Further, the service provider server 513 notifies the userof the user computer 511 by email that the printout data has beendelivered to the output terminal 512 and is ready to be printed.

Having received the notifying email, the user goes to a location such asa convenient store where the output terminal 512 is installed, andenters an identifier into the output terminal 512. When an email addressis used as an identifier, for example, the user enters his/her emailaddress by directly operating the output terminal 512. In response, theoutput terminal 512 prints the printout data corresponding to theentered email address.

The print request directed to the service provider servers 513 through515 may be made by a user operating the output terminal 512 rather thanmade by the user computer 511. With provision of such a function, theuser may prepare documents in the server of his/her own company, and beable to print the documents via the Internet at an output terminal closeto the place where the user is visiting on a business trip or close to aplace of a client, thereby eliminating a need to carry the large amountof paper documents.

In the description provided above, the printout data is output by aprinting apparatus such as a printer. Data to be output, however, is notlimited to the printout data, and the type of output is not limited tothe printout output. For example, musical digital data may be output asanalog data in the form of a recorded cassette tape, or video digitaldata may be output as analog data as recorded videotape. Such digitaldata may be obtained from the service provider servers 513 through 515,for example, and are output as analog data. In this case, only the dataof an analog format is in the user's possession, so that it is possibleto protect copyrights by preventing circulation of digital data and anunrestricted number of high quality copies being made from the digitaldata.

Alternatively, the musical digital data delivered to the output terminal512 may be played as audio output on the spot, or the video digital datadelivered to the output terminal 512 may be played as video output onthe spot.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with referenceto FIG. 2 through FIG. 4. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a firstembodiment of the output terminal according to the present invention.FIG. 3 is a flowchart of data accumulation operation according to thefirst embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of data output operationaccording to the first embodiment.

The output terminal of FIG. 4 includes communication units 1 through 3,which are connected to the facsimile communication line, the Internetcommunication line, and the LAN communication line, respectively, totransmit and receive data to and from the corresponding communicationline. The output terminal further includes an accumulation unit 4comprised of a private accumulation unit 4A, an output accumulation unit4B, and a storage accumulation unit 4C, each of which stores thereincorresponding data. The output terminal further includes an input/outputcontrol unit 5, a format conversion unit 6, an input unit 7, aninterface (I/O) 8 for inputting/outputting digital data, a display unit9, a scanner 10, a printing unit 11, an audio output unit 12, an outputconversion unit 13, and a processor 17 provided for processing purposes.

In the following, data accumulation operation in respect of theaccumulation unit 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3shows a case in which data is received from the Internet communicationline connected to the communication unit 2.

At a step S10, the input/output control unit 5 checks whether thecommunication unit 2 has received incoming data, and waits until thecheck indicates reception of data.

At a step S11, the input/output control unit 5 checks whether thereceived data is provided with a private identifier. If the answer isaffirmative, the procedure goes to a step S12. Here, the privateidentifier may be one of the source identifier indicative of a source ofthe incoming data and the destination identifier indicative of adestination of the incoming data, or may be a combination of both ofthese identifiers. Alternatively, the private identifier may be apassword.

At the step S12, the input/output control unit 5 stores the receiveddata in the private accumulation unit 4A.

If the check at the step S11 indicates absence of a private identifier,the procedure goes to a step S13, at which the input/output control unit5 checks whether the received data is provided with a storageidentifier. If the answer is affirmative, the procedure goes to a stepS14, at which the received data is stored in the storage accumulationunit 4C. The storage accumulation unit 4C stores delivered digitaldocuments when the digital documents are delivered from the serviceprovider servers 513 through 515 shown in FIG. 1 so as to be printed bythe output terminal 512, for example.

If the check at the step S13 indicates absence of a storage identifier,the procedure goes to a step S15. At the step S15, the input/outputcontrol unit 5 stores the received data in the output accumulation unit4B.

The above description has been provided with reference to a case inwhich data is received via the Internet. In the case of facsimiletransmission or LAN transmission, an identifier may be attached to thehead of the transmission data, and the data is stored in theaccumulation unit 4 in the same manner as was described with referenceto FIG. 3.

Data input from the input unit 7, data input via the interface (I/O) 8,and data scanned by the scanner 10 may not be provided with anyidentifier. In such a case, the input unit 7 may be operated to enter anidentifier prior to storage of the data, and the data is stored in theaccumulation unit 4 in the same manner as was described with referenceto FIG. 3.

In what follows, data output operation that outputs data from theaccumulation unit 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4is directed to the output operation that outputs data from the privateaccumulation unit 4A.

At a step S20, the input/output control unit 5 checks whether there isdata having a destination identifier attached thereto as an identifier.If there is data having a destination identifier attached thereto, thedestination is identified at a step S21.

At a step S22, the input/output control unit 5 determines which one ofthe facsimile communication line, the Internet communication line, andthe LAN communication line corresponds to the identified destination,and instructs the format conversion unit 6 to convert the format of dataread from the private accumulation unit 4A to conform to the format ofthe corresponding communication line.

At a step S23, the input/output control unit 5 controls thecorresponding one of the communication units 1 through 3 to transmit theformat-converted data.

If the check at the step S20 finds that there is no data having adestination identifier, the procedure goes to a step S24, at which theinput unit 7 receives an identifier that is entered.

At a step S25, the input/output control unit 5 checks whether there isdata having an identical identifier to the identifier entered at thestep S24. If there is a matching identifier, the procedure goes to astep S26.

At the step S26, the input/output control unit 5 identifies the form ofoutput conversion from the file. In the case of printing, the proceduregoes to a step S27, at which the accumulated data is printed out fromthe printing unit 11.

If the printout data is that of facsimile transmission, the outputconversion unit 13 attends to undoing of band compression, followed byprinting by the printing unit 11. If the printout data is that ofcharacter code data, the output conversion unit 13 converts charactercodes into dot data, followed by printing by the printing unit 11.

If the output conversion identified at the step S26 corresponds to audiodata, the procedure goes to a step S28. At the step S28, the outputconversion unit 13 attends to undoing of band compression if the audiodata has been subjected to band compression, and converts the data intoanalog data, which is then supplied to the audio output unit 12.

If the output conversion identified at the step S26 corresponds to imagedata, the procedure goes to a step S29. At the step S29, theinput/output control unit 5 checks whether the data represents movingpictures. If the check gives an affirmative answer, the procedure goesto a step S30, at which a moving picture program is launched. At a stepS31, the display unit 9 displays moving pictures or a still image, and,then, at a step S32, the file that has been output is removed.

Removal of a file is performed at an end of a predetermined time periodafter the data is read from the file. If the user wishes to take theoutput data with him/her, an analog record medium such as a magnetictape may be connected to the interface (I/O) 8 to make an analog copy ofthe digital data.

As described above, files having destination identifiers attachedthereto are automatically relayed, and other files are output only whenthe entered identifiers match the recorded identifiers serving aspasswords. This protects security.

The above description has been provided with reference to a case inwhich the data accumulated in the private accumulation unit 4A isoutput. In the case of data accumulated in the output accumulation unit4B, the input/output control unit 5 skips the steps S20 through S24 ofFIG. 4, and automatically carries out the steps S25 through S32. Namely,digital data received by the output terminal is automatically printed,played as audio output, or played as vide output. This presents aproblem in that strangers can access outputs in the case of printouts,for example. In this case, however, the user does not need to wait untilthe printing process is finished after requesting a printout at thelocation of the output terminal.

With respect to data accumulated in the storage accumulation unit 4C,the steps S20 through S23 are skipped, and an identifier is entered atthe step S24, followed by performing the steps S25 through S32. When theidentifier is to be entered at the step S24, identifiers of accumulatedfiles may be shown on the display unit 9 to prompt user selection.

Displaying of identifiers for the purpose of prompting user selectionmakes it easier to play or print desired data. This is, however, viableonly when the accumulated data is that of the public nature as opposedto the private nature.

The embodiment described above may assume a configuration in which theoutput terminal of the present invention is attached to or provided aspart of a facsimile apparatus or the like. Alternatively, the outputterminal of the present invention may be attached to or provided as partof a printer, a digital copier, or an integrated apparatus that is acombination of a digital copier, a printer, and a facsimile apparatus.Alternatively, the output terminal of the present invention may beattached to or provided as part of an information-processing apparatussuch as a personal computer.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described withreference to FIG. 5 through FIG. 7. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of asecond embodiment of the output terminal according to the presentinvention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an accumulation management unit.FIG. 7 is a flowchart of operation according to the second embodiment.

In the second embodiment as shown in FIG. 5, an accumulation managementunit 14 is newly provided in addition to the configuration of the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 1.

In the second embodiment, data management is carried out with respect todata stored in the accumulation unit 4 described in the firstembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the accumulation management unit 14 newly providedincludes a reference time generation unit 14A, a MAXTIME0 (MT0)recording unit 14B, a MAXTIME1 (MT1) recording unit 14C, and a TYPE &TIME recording unit 14D.

The MAXTIME0 recording unit 14B stores therein a time period MT0 (e.g.,24 hours) that passes from the storing of data to the removal of thedata. The MAXTIME1 recording unit 14C stores therein a time period MT1(e.g., 1 hour) that passes from the reading of data to the removal ofthe data. These time periods are input and modified by operating theinput unit 7.

In the following, operation of the accumulation management unit 14 willbe described with reference to the FIG. 7.

At a step S40, a check is made as to whether data accumulation in theaccumulation unit 4 is completed. Upon completion, the procedure goes toa step S41, at which TYPE and T recorded in the TYPE & TIME recordingunit 14D are set equal to zero with respect to the accumulated file.

At a step S42, the reference time generation unit 14A checks whether areference time period T₀, e.g., 10 minutes, has passed. A standby statecontinues until the check gives an affirmative answer.

At a step S43, T₀ is added to the time T to update the time T stored inthe TYPE & TIME recording unit 14D.

At a step S44, a check is made as to whether TYPE stored in the TYPE &TIME recording unit 14D is zero.

As will be described later, TYPE being zero indicates that the data hasnever been read from the accumulation unit 4, and TYPE being oneindicates that the data has been read.

If the check at the step S44 gives an affirmative answer, the proceduregoes to a step S45. At the step S45, a check is made as to whether thetime T updated at the step S43 is greater than MT0 recorded in theMAXTIME0 recording unit 14B. If the check result is affirmative, theprocedure goes to a step S46, at which the file is removed.

Namely, a file that has never been read for the time period of MT0 isremoved.

If the check at the step S45 gives a negative answer, the procedure goesto a step S47. At the step S47, a check is made as to whether data hasbeen read from the relevant file stored in the accumulation unit 4. Ifthere has been no data reading, the procedure goes back to the step S42,and the steps S42 through S47 will be repeated.

If the check at the step S47 finds that the data has been read, theprocedure goes to a step S48. At the step S48, TYPE and T recorded inthe TYPE & TIME recording unit 14D are set equal to 1 and 0,respectively, followed by returning to the step S42 to repeat the stepsS42 through S44.

If the check at the step S44 gives a negative answer to indicate thatthe data has been read from the file, the procedure goes to a step S49.At the step S49, a check is made as to whether the time T recorded inthe TYPE & TIME recording unit 14D is greater than MT1 (e.g., 1 hour)recorded in the MAXTIME1 recording unit 14C. If the check result isaffirmative, the procedure goes to a step S50, at which the file isremoved.

Namely, a file that has been read is removed after the passage of theMT1 time period from the time of data reading.

If the check at the step S49 gives a negative answer, the procedure goesto a step S51, at which a check is made as to whether the file has beenread again.

If the answer is negative, the procedure goes back to the step S42 torepeat the steps S42 through S44 and the steps S49 through S51.

If the check at the step S51 gives an affirmative answer, the proceduregoes to a step S52. At the step S52, the time T recorded in the TYPE &TIME recording unit 14D is set equal to zero, followed by going back tothe step S42 to repeat the steps S42 through S44 and the steps S49through S52.

Namely, when data is read again from the file, the time period fordeleting the file is extended.

In the embodiment described above, MT0 and MT1 stored in the respectiveMAXTIME0 recording unit 14B and MAXTIME1 recording unit 14C are enteredthrough the input unit 7. Alternatively, either one of MT1 and MT2 orboth MT1 and MT2 may be set in response to an available memory spaceremaining in the accumulation unit 4 by gauging such an available memoryspace.

In the following, a third embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 8 through FIG. 10.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of the output terminalaccording to the present invention. FIG. 9 shows an example of copyrightinformation. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of operation according to the thirdembodiment.

In the third embodiment as shown in FIG. 8, a copyright management unit15 is newly provided in addition to the configuration of the secondembodiment shown in FIG. 5.

In what follows, the operation of the third embodiment will be describedwith reference to FIG. 10.

At a step S60, the copyright management unit 15 checks whether data readfrom the accumulation unit 4 and to be printed by the printing unit 11has copyright information attached thereto. If no copyright informationis recorded, the procedure goes to a step S61 to perform a routine andnormal printing operation.

If the check at the step S60 finds that copyright information isrecorded, the procedure goes to a step S62, at which the copyrightinformation is shown on the display unit 9.

As shown in FIG. 9, the copyright information includes “[CopyrightInfo]”indicative of presence of copyright record, “String” identifying acopyright holder and a year of copyright, “Price” indicative of aroyalty for use of copyright, “POSCode” that is an item code readable bya Point-of-Sales terminal provided at a store where the output terminalof the present invention is located, and “Print” indicative of a printposition where the copyright information and the indication of paymentof royalty are printed.

At a step S63, a check is made as to whether the position specified by“Print” should be changed. If it should be changed, the procedure goesto a step S64, at which the input unit 7 is operated to change theposition.

At a step s65, the printing unit 11 produces a printout with String,Price, and POSCode printed thereon at the position specified by “Print”.

At a step S66, royalty for use of the copyright is displayed asspecified by “Price”, and the royalty fee is stored in memory.

In the following, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 11 through FIG. 14. FIG. 11 is a blockdiagram of a fourth embodiment of the output terminal according to thepresent invention. FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the accumulation unit 4of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an accumulateddata protection unit of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart ofoperation according to the fourth embodiment.

In the fourth embodiment as shown in FIG. 11, an accumulated dataprotection unit 16 is newly provided in addition to the configuration ofthe third embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

The accumulation unit 4 stores therein a large amount of data. Thislarge amount of data needs to be securely protected even when power iscut off, so that the accumulation unit 4 is typically comprised of ahard drive or the like.

It is also required to protect the data stored in the accumulation unit4 from being illegally accessed. Such illegal access may be attempted bydisengaging the accumulation unit 4 from the output terminal.

The fourth embodiment is aimed at protecting data stored in theaccumulation unit 4 from illegal access. To this end, the accumulationunit 4 is provided with a password record unit 4D and a permission unit4E as shown in FIG. 12.

The password record unit 4D stores therein a password.

The permission unit 4E operates each time power is turned on, andcompares a password supplied from the accumulated data protection unit16 with a password recorded in the password record unit 4D. Only whenthese passwords match, does the permission unit 4E permit data readingand writing that will be subsequently performed.

The accumulated data protection unit 16, as shown in FIG. 14, includes apassword record unit 16A, a set-time record unit 16B, a reference timegeneration unit 16C, an encryption unit 16D, a random number generationunit 16E, and a control unit 16F.

In the following, operation of the fourth embodiment will be describedwith reference to FIG. 14.

Here, the operation will be carried out each time the accumulation unit4 is powered on.

At a step S70, the control unit 16F reads an encrypted password from thepassword record unit 16A. At a step S71, the encryption unit 16Ddecrypts the password. At a step S72, the password is transferred to theaccumulation unit 4.

At a step S73, the permission unit 4E of the accumulation unit 4 checkswhether the transferred password matches a password recorded in thepassword record unit 4D. If they do not match, the mismatch is reportedto the accumulated data protection unit 16, with which the procedurecomes to an end. If these passwords match, the procedure goes to a stepS75, at which permission is given to data reading and writing that willbe subsequently performed. At a step S76, then, the match of thepasswords is reported to the accumulated data protection unit 16.

At a step S77, the control unit 16F of the accumulated data protectionunit 16 derives a time difference T between the reference time generatedby the reference time generation unit 16C and the time recorded in theset-time record unit 16B. At a step S78, a check is made as to whetherthe derived time difference T is greater than a predetermined timeperiod T₁. If the check gives a negative answer, the procedure comes toan end.

If the check gives an affirmative answer, the procedure goes to a stepS79, at which the random number generation unit 16E generates a randomnumber to generate a new password. At a step S80, a check is made as towhether the new password matches the old password decrypted at the stepS71. If they match, the procedure goes back to the step S79 to generatea new password again.

At a step S81, the control unit 16F transfers the new password to theaccumulation unit 4.

At a step S82, the permission unit 4E records the transferred newpassword in the password record unit 4D. At a step S83, the accumulateddata protection unit 16 is notified that the recording of the newpassword is properly completed.

At a step S84, the control unit 16F encrypts the new password by use ofthe encryption unit 16D in response to the notice. At a step S85, theencrypted password is stored in the password record unit 16A. At a stepS86, the reference time generated by the reference time generation unit16C is recorded in the set-time record unit 16B, with which theprocedure comes to an end.

According to the present invention as described above, data transferredthrough communication lines of different data transfer schemes and inputdata are transferred to a designated destination or printed asprintouts.

Further, the present invention can reduce cost and space forinstallation.

In the embodiments described above, the output terminal that prints theprintout data, for example, is an output terminal to which the usersends email of a printout request. Accordingly, when the user mistakenlysends a printout request to an output terminal situated at a location Brather than to an output terminal situated at an intended location A,the user goes to the location A, finding that there is no printout datadelivered to that location. If this happens within the same building ofthe company where the printout data intended to be delivered to thesecond floor is actually sent to the eighth floor, the user may be ableto check the destination of the email after returning to his/her owncomputer, and, then, goes to the eighth floor to obtain the printout. Ifthe user mistakenly sends email to a wrong convenience store, however,it would be too late for the user to realize his/her mistake aftervisiting the convenience store. In such a case, excessive time and laborwould be necessary to cope with the mistake. In the followingembodiments, a system that addresses such a mistake will be described.

A further embodiment of the present invention will be described withreference to FIG. 15 through FIG. 17. FIG. 15 is a block diagram of thisembodiment of the output terminal according to the present invention.FIG. 16 is a flowchart of data accumulation operation according to thepresent embodiment. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of transfer operation.

The output terminal of FIG. 15 includes the communication units 1through 3, which are connected to the facsimile communication line, theInternet communication line, and the LAN communication line,respectively, to transmit and receive data to and from the correspondingcommunication line. The output terminal further includes theaccumulation unit 4 comprised of the private accumulation unit 4A, theoutput accumulation unit 4B, and the storage accumulation unit 4C, eachof which stores therein corresponding data. The output terminal furtherincludes the input/output control unit 5, the format conversion unit 6,the input unit 7, the interface (I/O) 8 for inputting/outputting digitaldata, the display unit 9, the scanner 10, the printing unit 11, theaudio output unit 12, the output conversion unit 13, atransfer-identifier transmitting unit 20, and the processor 17 providedfor processing purposes.

In the following, data accumulation operation in respect of theaccumulation unit 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 16.

Here, FIG. 16 shows a case in which data is received from the Internetcommunication line connected to the communication unit 2.

At a step S10, the input/output control unit 5 checks whether thecommunication unit 2 has received incoming data, and waits until thecheck indicates reception of data.

At a step S11, the input/output control unit 5 checks whether thereceived data is provided with a private identifier. If the answer isaffirmative, the procedure goes to a step S12.

Here, the private identifier may be one of the source identifierindicative of a source of the incoming data and the destinationidentifier indicative of a destination of the incoming data, or may be acombination of both of these identifiers. Alternatively, the privateidentifier may be a password.

At the step S12, the input/output control unit stores the received datain the private accumulation unit 4A.

If the check at the step S11 indicates absence of a private identifier,the procedure goes to a step S13, at which the input/output control unit5 checks whether the received data is provided with a storageidentifier. If the answer is affirmative, the procedure goes to a stepS14, at which the received data is stored in the storage accumulationunit 4C.

If the check at the step S13 indicates absence of a storage identifier,the procedure goes to a step S15. At the step S15, the input/outputcontrol unit 5 checks whether the received data is a transferidentifier. If the check gives a negative answer, the procedure goes toa step S16, at which the received data is stored in the outputaccumulation unit 4B. If the answer of the check at the step S15 isaffirmative, the procedure goes to a step S17, at which the receivedtransfer identifier is stored in memory.

The above description has been provided with reference to a case inwhich data is received via the Internet. In the case of facsimiletransmission or LAN transmission, an identifier may be attached to thehead of the transmission data, and the data is stored in theaccumulation unit 4 in the same manner as was described with referenceto FIG. 16.

Data input from the input unit 7, data input via the interface (I/O) 8,and data scanned by the scanner 10 may not be provided with anyidentifier. In such a case, the input unit 7 may be operated to enter anidentifier prior to storage of the data, and the data is stored in theaccumulation unit 4 in the same manner as was described with referenceto FIG. 16.

Operation for outputting data from the accumulation unit 4, i.e.,outputting data from the private accumulation unit 4A, outputting datafrom the output accumulation unit 4B, and outputting data from thestorage accumulation unit 4C, is the same as in the first embodimentpreviously described, and a duplicate description thereof will beomitted.

In what follows, operation of the transfer-identifier transmitting unit20 will be described with reference to FIG. 17.

As was described in association with the first embodiment, the userenters his/her identifier by operating the input unit 7, and, then, afile corresponding to the entered identifier is searched for in theprivate accumulation unit 4A so as to be output.

If the data is sent to another output terminal by mistake, the usercannot obtain a printout from the output terminal that the user isoperating.

To cope with such a situation, the transfer-identifier transmitting unit20 automatically transmits a transfer identifier in order to have datatransferred from another output terminal to the output terminal beingoperated.

At a step S24 of FIG. 17 (corresponding to the step S24 of FIG. 4), anidentifier is entered. At a step S25 (corresponding to the step S25 ofFIG. 4), a corresponding file is searched for in the privateaccumulation unit 4A. The procedure then goes to a step S50.

At the step S50, the transfer-identifier transmitting unit 20 checkswhether a corresponding file is found at the step S25. If it is found,the procedure goes to the step S26 of FIG. 4, and the steps S26 throughS32 will be performed as was described with reference to FIG. 4.

If the check at the step S50 finds that there is no corresponding file,the procedure goes to a step S51, at which the absence of thecorresponding file is indicated on the display unit 9. At a step S52,then, the user is asked on the screen whether the data should betransferred from another output terminal.

If the user enters “no transfer” into the input unit 7 in response, theprocedure comes to an end.

If the user enters “transfer”, the procedure goes to a step S53. At thestep S53, a transfer identifier is transmitted to the Internet, forexample, together with the identifier entered at the step S24 and anaddress of the output terminal serving as an indication of a correctdestination of file transfer.

In doing so, the transfer identifier may be transmitted to all addressesthat are registered in advance. In the office environment, for example,addresses of all the output terminals installed in the office may beregistered in advance.

If it is desired that the data transferred from another output terminalresponding to the transfer identifier is immediately printed by theprinting unit 11, the transferred data should be stored in the outputaccumulation unit 4B as was previously described. To this end, aninstruction requiring that the transfer data should not have a privateidentifier nor a storage identifier attached thereto may be furtherattached to the transfer identifier together with the entered identifierand the address of the output terminal serving as a correct destination.When the transferred data is provided with neither a private identifiernor a storage identifier, as was described with reference to FIG. 16,the transferred data is stored in the output accumulation unit 4B so asto be immediately output as a printout.

In this embodiment, the transfer identifier is sent out from the outputterminal. Alternatively, the transfer identifier can be sent out fromany apparatus as long as the apparatus is so configured that thetransfer identifier can be entered. Such apparatus may be a personalcomputer or the like connected to the communication units 1 through 3.As was described, the destination of data transfer is specified so as tohave the relevant output terminal print a printout.

In the above embodiment, data transmitted to any given output terminalcan be transferred to any output terminal to be output. In such aconfiguration, however, the transfer identifier needs to be sent to allthe output terminals, thereby imposing the heavy load on outputterminals and communication lines. Instead of such a configuration, onlyone output terminal may be announced as a destination of all emailprintout requests, for example. In such a case, the designated outputterminal serves as a master device, which receives all the printoutrequests and printout data. Output terminals connected to the masterdevice via the Internet may be installed as slave devices at conveniencestores of a nationwide chain. Any one of the slave devices locatednationwide may be used to obtain the printout data from the masterdevice to output the data as a printout.

Operation that is performed in response to storing of a transferidentifier at the step S17 of FIG. 16 will be described with referenceto FIG. 18.

When the transfer identifier is received, a corresponding file istransferred to the correct destination in accordance with the dataattached to the transfer identifier. This operation will be describedbelow.

As was described in connection with FIG. 17, data attached to thetransfer identifier includes a correct destination and an identifierthat identifies data stored in the accumulation unit 4.

In FIG. 18, transfer operation is started in response to reception of atransfer identifier by any one of the communication units 1 through 3.At a step S40, the input/output control unit 5 searches for anidentifier identical to the identifier attached to the received transferidentifier where the search is conducted with respect to data stored inthe private accumulation unit 4A.

At a step S41, if a corresponding file is found as a result of search,the format conversion unit 6 converts the data of the file into a formatconforming to the communication line that is connected to the correctdestination (i.e., transfer destination), which is specified in the dataattached to the transfer identifier. At a step S42, the data istransmitted to the corresponding communication line via one of thecommunication units 1 through 3. At a step S43, the file of thetransferred data is removed.

The embodiment described above may assume a configuration in which theoutput terminal of the present invention is attached to or provided aspart of a facsimile apparatus or the like. Alternatively, the outputterminal of the present invention may be attached to or provided as partof a printer, a digital copier, or an integrated apparatus that is acombination of a digital copier, a printer, and a facsimile apparatus.Alternatively, the output terminal of the present invention may beattached to or provided as part of an information-processing apparatussuch as a personal computer.

According to the present invention as described above, data transferredthrough communication lines of different data transfer schemes and inputdata are transferred to a designated destination or printed asprintouts.

Further, the present invention can reduce cost and space forinstallation.

Moreover, even when data is mistakenly stored in a wrong place, the datacan be readily transferred to a remote correct destination.

In the embodiments described above, the printout data transmittedthrough email will be printed by the output terminal simply inaccordance with a predetermined format. Because of this, it is notpossible to reduce overall running cost by printing specific pagessuitable for color appearance by a color printer and printing theremaining pages by a monochrome printer running at a low cost, forexample. In a company-wide system, further, there may be a case in whichmain branch offices need all pages of a document to be printed whereasonly specific pages of the document need to be delivered to other branchoffices. In such a case, it is necessary to divide the digital documentin advance and deliver selected pieces of the document to branch officesso as to send all the pages to the output terminals of the main branchoffices and to send only the specific pages to the output terminals ofthe other branch offices.

In the following embodiment, a description will be provided with regardto a configuration in which various output terminals can print data indifferent printout formats only by sending single document data via asingle email message.

A further embodiment of the present invention will be described withreference to FIG. 19 and FIG. 20. FIG. 19 is a block diagram of thisembodiment of the output terminal according to the present invention.FIG. 20 is a flowchart of data accumulation operation according to thepresent embodiment.

The output terminal of FIG. 19 includes the communication units 1through 3, which are connected to the facsimile communication line, theInternet communication line, and the LAN communication line,respectively, to transmit and receive data to and from the correspondingcommunication line. The output terminal further includes theaccumulation unit 4 comprised of the private accumulation unit 4A, theoutput accumulation unit 4B, and the storage accumulation unit 4C, eachof which stores therein corresponding data. The output terminal furtherincludes the input/output control unit 5, the format conversion unit 6,the input unit 7, the interface (I/O) 8 for inputting/outputting digitaldata, the display unit 9, the scanner 10, the printing unit 11, theaudio output unit 12, the output conversion unit 13, a processingdefinition record unit 21, a relevant transfer destination record unit22, an optimum route selection unit 23, and the processor 17 providedfor processing purposes.

In the following, data accumulation operation in respect of theaccumulation unit 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 20.

Here, FIG. 20 shows a case in which data is received from the Internetcommunication line connected to the communication unit 2.

At a step S10, the input/output control unit 5 checks whether thecommunication unit 2 has received incoming data, and waits until thecheck indicates reception of data.

At a step S11, the input/output control unit 5 checks whether thereceived data has a processing instruction text attached thereto. If thecheck gives an affirmative answer, the procedure goes to a step S12, atwhich the processing instruction text is stored in memory.

At a step S13, the input/output control unit 5 checks whether thereceived data is provided with a private identifier. If the answer isaffirmative, the procedure goes to a step S14. Here, the privateidentifier may be one of the source identifier indicative of a source ofthe incoming data and the destination identifier indicative of adestination of the incoming data, or may be a combination of both ofthese identifiers. Alternatively, the private identifier may be apassword.

At the step S14, the input/output control unit 5 stores the receiveddata in the private accumulation unit 4A.

If the check at the step S13 indicates absence of a private identifier,the procedure goes to a step S15, at which the input/output control unit5 checks whether the received data is provided with a storageidentifier. If the answer is affirmative, the procedure goes to a stepS16, at which the received data is stored in the storage accumulationunit 4C.

If the check at the step S15 indicates absence of a storage identifier,the procedure goes to a step S17. At the step S17, the input/outputcontrol unit 5 stores the received data in the output accumulation unit4B.

The above description has been provided with reference to a case inwhich data is received via the Internet. In the case of facsimiletransmission or LAN transmission, an identifier may be attached to thehead of the transmission data, and the data is stored in theaccumulation unit 4 in the same manner as was described with referenceto FIG. 20.

Data input from the input unit 7, data input via the interface (I/O) 8,and data scanned by the scanner 10 may not be provided with anyidentifier. In such a case, the input unit 7 may be operated to enter anidentifier prior to storage of the data, and the data is stored in theaccumulation unit 4 in the same manner as was described with referenceto FIG. 20.

Operation for outputting data from the accumulation unit 4, i.e.,outputting data from the private accumulation unit 4A, outputting datafrom the output accumulation unit 4B, and outputting data from thestorage accumulation unit 4C, is the same as in the first embodimentpreviously described, and a duplicate description thereof will beomitted.

In what follows, a description will be provided with regard to a case inwhich a processing instruction text is recorded at the step S12 of FIG.20.

As shown in FIG. 21, a digital document comprised of a total of 15 pagesis sent out from a terminal computer 51 of the headquarter office, withan aim of printing two copies of all the pages by using a color printerof an output terminal 52 located at the headquarter, printing ten copiesof all the pages by using a monochrome printer of an output terminal 53located at the headquarter, printing a copy of all the pages at anoutput terminal 54 of a client residing in Tokyo, printing a copy ofpages 1 and 3 at an output terminal 55 of a Sapporo branch, printing acopy of page 1 at an output terminal 56 at a local office of the Sapporobranch, and printing a copy of pages 1 and 10 at an output terminal 57at another local office of the Sapporo branch.

In such a case, the terminal computer 51 of the headquarter attaches asa file a processing instruction text as shown in FIG. 22 to the digitaldocument data, and sends email to the output terminal 52 equipped withthe color printer.

As shown in FIG. 22, the processing instruction text includes transferaddresses specified in the brackets “[ ]” as shown in lines 1, 5, 8, 11,and 18. “Print=” specified thereafter indicates pages and the number ofcopies to be printed. For example, “Print=(1−15)*2” means printing twocopies of pages 1 through 15, and “Print=(1, 3)*1” means printing a copyof pages 1 and 3.

“Transfer=” following “Print=” specifies transfer addresses.

The output terminal 52 located at the headquarter receives the digitaldocument and the processing instruction text as shown in FIG. 22 formthe terminal computer 51, and checks the processing instruction text insearch of a line that starts with a character string specifying its ownemail address in the brackets. In this example, line 1 starts with acharacter string that specifies its own email address in the brackets.processing defined from the line following line 1 to the lineimmediately before line 5 starting with another email address[monor@company.com] is to be performed by the output terminal 52. Thatis, processing defined from line 2 to line 3 is carried out by theoutput terminal 52. According to the instruction of line 2, the outputterminal 32 uses its own color printer to print two copies of pages 1through 15 of the digital document.

Also, the output terminal 52 transfers the processing instruction textand the digital document by email to monor@company.com specified after“Transfer=” at line 3. By the same token, the processing instructiontext and the digital document are transferred by email toshisha@sapporo.company.com specified at the same line.

The last address 03-4444-5555 “G4Fax” specified at the same lineindicates a facsimile transmission to G4FAX. In the case of email,transfer destinations can interpret the processing instruction text, butfacsimile apparatuses cannot. There is thus a need to interpret theprocessing instruction text at the transmission end. Namely, a sectionof [03-4444-5555] is found at line 8 in the processing instructiondocument, and, then, “Print=(1−15)*1” at line 9 is interpreted, followedby transmitting the digital document via facsimile transmission inaccordance with the interpretation.

Having received the digital document and the processing instruction textfrom the output terminal 52 of the headquarter, the output terminal 55of the Sapporo branch searches in the processing instruction text for aline that starts with a character string specifying its own emailaddress in the brackets. In this example, line 11 is found, so thatprocessing specified in following lines 12 and 13 will be performed. Inaccordance with line 12, the printer prints a copy of pages 1 and 3.Since line 13 specifies “Transfer=”, transmission and transferprocessing is carried out with respect to each address specifiedtherein.

The digital document data transferred along with the processinginstruction text may be sent only after extracting pages specified inthe “Print=” instruction. This can reduce the transmission time and thecost associated with use of the communication line.

As shown in FIG. 22, many transfer addresses may have to be specified.It is difficult, however, for the sender of the digital document toremember all the addresses, so that it would be beneficial if theseaddresses can be specified by abbreviations that are easy to remember.

In the present invention, transfer destinations may be specified byabbreviations as shown in FIG. 23 at lines 3 and 5.

When a transfer destination is specified by use of the abbreviation asshown, it is necessary to provide the processing definition record unit21 in the output terminal 52. The processing definition record unit 21stores therein unabbreviated addresses corresponding to abbreviations asshown in FIG. 24, thereby letting the abbreviations be converted intocorresponding unabbreviated addresses.

Further, as shown in FIG. 22 at lines 3 and 13, a source apparatus fromwhich data is transferred should be recognized when writing theprocessing instruction text. Such specifics cannot be described byanyone other than those who understand optimum transfer routes as shownin FIG. 21.

Further, it is possible to confuse the FAX telephone number 03-4444-5555shown at line 3 of FIG. 22 with the FAX telephone number 011-222-3333shown at line 13. As a result, a mistake may be made, producing a wrongprocessing instruction text as shown in FIG. 25.

In consideration of this, the present invention may allow all thetransfer addresses to be collectively specified at the “Transfer=” linefor the first output terminal as shown in FIG. 26 at lines 3 and 4. Thisfrees the user from exercising care for transfer routes.

When the processing instruction text as shown in FIG. 26 is transferred,the optimum route selection unit 23 refers to positions of transferdestinations (addresses), availability of data transfer, specificationsof printer apparatuses, etc., to convert the processing instruction textof FIG. 26 into the processing instruction text of FIG. 22 thatexplicitly shows optimum transfer routes.

As shown in FIG. 21, the output terminal 52 is accessible either throughthe Internet address color@company.com or through the FAX number(address) 03-6666-7777. As shown in FIG. 27, addresses for differentcommunication lines are recorded in the relevant transfer destinationrecord unit 22 with an aim of converting the processing instruction textto select optimum routes.

In the following, operation based on the processing instruction will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 28.

When a processing instruction text is stored at the step S12 of FIG. 20,a step S40 of FIG. 28 will be performed.

At the step S40 of FIG. 28, the input/output control unit 5 checkswhether abbreviations for transfer destinations are used at the“Transfer=” line of the recorded processing instruction text as wasdescribed with reference to FIG. 23. If an abbreviation is not used, theprocedure goes to a step S42.

When the check at the step S40 gives an affirmative answer, theprocedure goes to a step S41. At the step S41, the contents of theprocessing definition record unit 21 are referred to so as to convertthe abbreviations of transfer destinations to unabbreviated transferdestinations (addresses).

At the step S42, the optimum route selection unit 23 checks if thetransfer routes specified in the processing instruction text areoptimum. If the answer is affirmative, the procedure goes to a step S44.

If the check at the step S42 gives a negative answer to indicate thatthe processing instruction text is that shown in FIG. 25 or FIG. 26, forexample, the procedure goes to a step S43. At the step S43, the contentsof the relevant transfer destination record unit 22 are referred to soas to convert the transfer destinations, thereby achieving optimumtransfer routes as shown in FIG. 22.

At a step S44, the input/output control unit 5 searches the accumulationunit 4 for a file to be transferred. At a step S45, format conversion isperformed to conform to a communication line corresponding to a transferdestination. At a step S46, the relevant digital document is transmittedfrom one of the communication units 1 through 3 connected to thecorresponding line.

If the transfer destination is the output terminal of the presentinvention such as the output terminal 55 of the Sapporo branch or theoutput terminal 58 of the Fukuoka branch as shown in FIG. 21, theprocessing instruction text is attached to the email to be transferred.

If the transfer destination is the monochrome printing apparatus of theoutput terminal 53, data of pages 1 through 15 is transmitted ten timesto print ten copies since line 6 of the processing instruction of FIG.22 requests 10 copies of pages 1 through 15.

At a step S47, the input/output control unit 5 checks whether there is atransfer destination yet to be attended to. If the answer isaffirmative, the procedure goes back to a step S44, and the steps S44through S47 will be carried out for the new transfer destination.

If there is no transfer destination to be attended to, the proceduregoes to a step S48, at which a file of the transferred data is removed.

The embodiment described above may assume a configuration in which theoutput terminal of the present invention is attached to or provided aspart of a facsimile apparatus or the like. Alternatively, the outputterminal of the present invention may be attached to or provided as partof a printer, a digital copier, or an integrated apparatus that is acombination of a digital copier, a printer, and a facsimile apparatus.Alternatively, the output terminal of the present invention may beattached to or provided as part of an information-processing apparatussuch as a personal computer.

According to the present invention as described above, data transferredthrough communication lines of different data transfer schemes and inputdata are transferred to a designated destination or printed asprintouts.

Further, the present invention can reduce cost and space forinstallation.

In the above embodiments, when an email address is used as a privateidentifier, the printout data sent from the same sender will be printedin response to the same identifier. If a user happens to know the emailaddress of another user, the user with this knowledge can print all theprintout data by entering the email address as an identifier into theoutput terminal. This poses a problem of security breach.

In the following embodiment, a configuration for heightening security bya simple means will be described.

A further embodiment of the present invention will be described withreference to FIG. 29 and FIG. 30.

FIG. 29 is a block diagram of this embodiment of the output terminalaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart of data accumulation operation according to thepresent embodiment. In FIG. 29, the same elements as those of theprevious embodiments are referred to by the same numerals.

The output terminal of FIG. 29 includes the communication units 1through 3, which are connected to the facsimile communication line, theInternet communication line, and the LAN communication line,respectively, to transmit and receive data to and from the correspondingcommunication line. The output terminal further includes theaccumulation unit 4 comprised of the private accumulation unit 4A, theoutput accumulation unit 4B, and the storage accumulation unit 4C, eachof which stores therein corresponding data. The output terminal furtherincludes an input/output control unit 5A, the format conversion unit 6,the input unit 7, the interface (I/O) 8 for inputting/outputting digitaldata, the display unit 9, the scanner 10, the printing unit 11, theaudio output unit 12, the output conversion unit 13, and the processor17 provided for processing purposes. In this embodiment, theinput/output control unit 5A attends to control associated with privateidentifiers by using as a private identifier either one of or both of asender-specific private identifier defined on the sender side and areceiver-defined private identifier defined on the receiver side.

In the following, data accumulation operation in respect of theaccumulation unit 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 30.

Here, FIG. 30 shows a case in which data is received from the Internetcommunication line connected to the communication unit 2.

At a step S10, the input/output control unit 5A checks whether thecommunication unit 2 has received incoming data, and waits until thecheck indicates reception of data.

At a step S11, the input/output control unit 5A checks whether thereceived data has a private identifier attached thereto. If the checkgives an affirmative answer, the procedure goes to a step S12.

Here, the private identifier may be a sender-specific private identifiersuch as an email address that identifies the sender.

At the step S12, the operation mode of the input/output control unit 5Ais identified. The operation mode includes a mode allowing use of only asender-specific private identifier, a mode allowing use of only areceiver-defined private identifier, and a mode allowing use of both thesender-specific private identifier and the receiver-defined privateidentifier.

In the mode allowing use of only a sender-specific private identifier,at a step S13, the input/output control unit 5A stores the received datain the private accumulation unit 4A along with the sender-specificprivate identifier. Files stored in the private accumulation unit 4Ainclude a data field, a field for storing a sender-specific privateidentifier, and a field for storing a receiver-defined privateidentifier. In this case, therefore, the sender email addresstaro@company.com is stored in the sender-specific private identifierfield, data of the received digital document or the like being stored inthe data field, and the receiver-defined private identifier fieldstoring an initial value (e.g., 0).

In the mode allowing use of only a receiver-defined private identifier,at a step S14, the input/output control unit 5A generates areceiver-defined private identifier. For example, a numeric value isgenerated by combining the year, the date, and the time of reception ofthe email, and is set aside for use as a receiver-defined privateidentifier. In order to avoid confusion with another data having onlyone digit difference, a check digit may be computed according topredetermined rules based on the generated numeric value, and may beattached to the numeric value. A method of generating the check digitmay be any one of the previous known methods, and the present inventionis not limited use of a particular method.

At a step S15, the input/output control unit 5A sends email to notifythe sender of the receiver-generated private identifier, for example,“052643”. At a step S16, the input/output control unit 5A stores thereceiver-defined private identifier and the received data in the privateaccumulation unit 4A. For example, the numeric value “052643” is storedin the receiver-defined private identifier field, the data of thereceived digital document being stored in the data field, and thesender-specific private identifier field storing its initial value(e.g., 0).

In the mode allowing use of both a sender-specific private identifierand a receiver-defined private identifier, at a step S17, theinput/output control unit 5A generates a receiver-defined privateidentifier. At a step S18, the input/output control unit 5A sends emailto notify the sender of the receiver-generated private identifier, forexample, “052643”. At a step S19, the input/output control unit 5Astores the sender-specific private identifier, the receiver-definedprivate identifier, and the received data in the private accumulationunit 4A. For example, the sender's email address taro@company.com isstored in the sender-specific private identifier field, the generatednumeric value “052643” being stored in the receiver-defined privateidentifier field, and the data of the received digital document or thelike being stored in the data field.

If the check at the step S11 gives a negative answer, the procedure goesto a step S20. At the step S20, the input/output control unit 5A checkswhether the received data is provided with a storage identifier. If theanswer is affirmative, the procedure goes to a step S21, at which thereceived data is stored in the storage accumulation unit 4C.

If the check at the step S20 indicates absence of a storage identifier,the procedure goes to a step S22. At the step S22, the input/outputcontrol unit 5A stores the received data in the output accumulation unit4B.

Operation for outputting data from the accumulation unit 4, i.e.,outputting data from the private accumulation unit 4A, outputting datafrom the output accumulation unit 4B, and outputting data from thestorage accumulation unit 4C, is the same as in the first embodimentpreviously described, and a duplicate description thereof will beomitted.

In this manner, in the mode allowing use of only a sender-specificprivate identifier, the user enters his/her email address such astaro@company.com into the output terminal as a sender-specific privateidentifier, thereby having the requested document data printed out. Inthe mode allowing use of only a receiver-specific private identifier,the user enters into the output terminal a receiver-defined privateidentifier such as “052643” sent from the output terminal, therebyhaving the requested document data printed out. In the mode allowing useof both a sender-specific private identifier and a receiver-definedprivate identifier, the user enters into the output terminal his/heremail address such as taro@company.com serving as a sender-specificprivate identifier and a receiver-defined private identifier such as“052643” sent from the output terminal, thereby having the requesteddocument data printed as an printout.

In the description provided above, data that the output terminalreceives is not limited to the printout data, and the type of output isnot limited to the printout output. For example, musical digital datamay be output as analog data in the form of a recorded cassette tape, orvideo digital data may be output as analog data as recorded videotape.Alternatively, the musical digital data delivered to the output terminalmay be played as audio output on the spot, or the video digital datadelivered to the output terminal may be played as video output on thespot.

Further, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, butvarious variations and modifications may be made without departing fromthe scope of the present invention.

1. An apparatus, comprising: a communication unit which receives emailthrough a communication line, the email having been sent by a user andincluding data; an accumulation unit which stores therein the data; aprintout unit; an input unit which receives a first identifier enteredby the user through direct operation thereof; and a control unit whichgenerates a second identifier corresponding to the data, and sends thesecond identifier to the user by email via the communication unit, saidcontrol unit controlling said printout unit to print the datacorresponding to the second identifier by reading the data from saidaccumulation unit if the first identifier matches the second identifier.2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second identifier isa numerical value generated based on data and time of reception of theemail received by said communication unit.
 3. The apparatus as claimedin claim 1, wherein the second identifier is a numerical value includinga check digit generated by predetermined rules.
 4. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the email received by said communicationunit includes a third identifier, and said input unit receives a fourthidentifier entered by the user in addition to the first identifier, saidcontrolling unit controlling said printout unit to print the datacorresponding to the second identifier by reading the data from saidaccumulation unit if the first identifier matches the second identifierand if the third identifier matches the fourth identifier.